You Get A Hotel Fee, And You Get A Hotel Fee!

How far is too far when it comes to implementing hotel fees? The travel industry has been in the ethical spotlight lately with regard to advertising rock bottom rates and then sneaking in massive hotel or resort fees right before check-out. Now, however, some hotels are getting creative with fees. Would you pay extra for a non-smoking room or for express check-in? What used to be considered a nice perk or simple convenience is now being priced at a premium. What are your thoughts on this emerging trend?

67% Of Consumers Are Influenced By Online Reviews

A new Moz study reveals some pretty interesting data on consumer search trends and the effect of online reviews. To begin with, Moz looked into how far people would go to find the result they were looking for. Surprisingly, 36% of people made it to the second or third page or search results and 13.6% made it four pages in or farther (50.4% stuck to the first page of results). The study also looked in depth at online reviews and found that 67.7% of respondents admitted that online reviews impacted their purchasing decisions with a whopping 29.6% reporting that reviews are either “very important” or “absolutely important” to a purchasing decision. Read the full Moz online survey for the full report details and let us know your thoughts.

Health And Wellness Travel Is All The Rage

So some hotels now offer fitness classes and perhaps even salads to-go, eh? It’s no secret that health and wellness trends are on the rise and hotels are not immune to this movement. From in-room yoga matts and on-site fitness classes to vitamin infused water and health conscious food programs, hotels have come a long way from where they used to be from a wellness perspective. The business is booking – is your hotel ready to jump on the bandwagon? What are some of the health-conscious initiatives that are important to your property?

Nobody Puts Grandma & Grandpa In The Corner

Sydney-based travel research firm, MyTravelResearch.com, is blasting the travel industry for perpetuating stereotypes associated with older travelers. Bronwyn White, company co-founder, explains that the highly-lucrative baby boomer generation has more disposable income and free time than most other demographic but travel marketing falls short in understanding the true needs and wants of this coveted group and the marketing messages out there reflect this discrepancy. The firm also presents five things that can be done to get rid of the “this is the way things have always been done” adage and to improve the overall marketing messages to older demographics.

Weekly Google Roundup

Per usual, Google is busy being busy. This week, the search engine giant rolled out a brand new logo – the first major logo change in 16 years. The change is reminiscent of the big Apple operating system, which brings one word to mind – FLAT. The new sassy, sans-serif logo has received mixed results, but one thing is for sure: Google probably doesn’t care. You keep doing you, Google.

Additionally, Google announced an update to the mobile-friendly algorithm specific to pop-ups on mobile websites. Moving forward, “app install interstitials that hide a significant amount of content” will no longer be considered “mobile-friendly” and could hurt your website rankings. Banners and other formats that are not as disruptive to the overall webpage experience, however, will continue to be kosher.

Airbnb’s Hair – er – Algorithm Is Full Of Secrets

So you have a spare room in a highly coveted area and are considering renting it out on the side for some extra cash…. Great! But then the grand question comes… how much should you charge? This is the precise dilemma that was uncovered that was preventing many potential renters from officially listing their property on the popular accommodations website, Airbnb. This dilemma led to the eventual development of a mind-bogglingly complex algorithm that has evolved over time to adapt to millions of intricate variables – also known as the Airbnb pricing algorithm. Dan Hill, the product lead at Airbnb, recently sat down to explain how this complex algorithm works and how it has helped the rental platform become a leading giant in the travel space. Be sure to check out the full article, it’s a very interesting read.

Hotel Analytics Made Easy

If you use Adobe Analytics for your hotel reporting you are probably already aware of all of the fantastic features that this platform offers. However, you might not know how to set up a personalized analytics dashboard, which offers endless possibilities when it comes to customization and ease of use. One of our analytics specialists took the time to put together a great guide on how to do just that! Learn how to set up your own personalized Abode Analytics dashboards and completely transform your analytics reporting experience.

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